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For Today...
'Breathe on me Breath of God'
A fine Victorian hymn, inexplicably set to Trentham in many books. My preference is Carlisle.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TssHTATafi0 - a Songs of Praise recording of this hymn, sung to Carlisle.(23/06/2025)
Recent links
'Teach me to dance'
It goes a bit mad with the key changes at the end, but it's the first one I found that wasn't too slow!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE_fz0xc774 - sung by the Salvation Army's International songsters.(22/06/2025)
'Come Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire'
A Charles Wesley classic, set to the tune 'St. Stephen'. (I found several Youtube recordings setting it to 'Winchester Old' - a perverse and thoroughly misguided practice in my view.)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YSvEeezbR0 - a recording with a single soprano.(21/06/2025)
'Thou whose Almighty Word'
A solidly Trinitarian hymn, whose message of spreading the gospel has been mixed with national sentiment on occasion.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb8Jmo1DbhI - from a Trinity Sunday service at St John's, Detroit... and with a memorably wild introduction!(20/06/2025)
'Enemy of Apathy (She sits like a bird)'
A characteristically thoughtful song from John Bell and Graham Maule. A joy to play and a joy to sing.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwsiXzcYFis - single guitar is certainly not the ideal accompaniment for this, but I'm glad to have found a recording!www.youtube.com/watch?v=gULDAPG2248 - this one has a piano accompaniment but the language is Japanese.
(19/06/2025)
'Like a gentle breeze'
This Maggi Dawn song is a Whitsuntide essential, in my reckoning.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFd00w7YdXU - the only recording I've found- 2 voices and acoustic guitar. This song seriously needs an electric guitar and a Hammond... and a beat.(18/06/2025)
'Santo Santo Santo (Holy, Holy, Holy)'
A beautiful short song from Argentina. We found it through the John Bell/ Wild Goose collections of World Songs.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LU6bWsxC3A - very nice, but all in Spanish.www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMJIsCg2N9Q - bi-lingual version (rendered in compound time).
(17/06/2025)
'Holy, holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty'
Classic hymn for Trinity Sunday, and also one of the three hymns by Bishop Heber that we have in repertoire.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARhoT6SvUk8 - a live, raw recording from a Sunday service from a parish church in Sheffield.(16/06/2025)
'God is in His temple'
A fine hymn, very Trinitarian. Also makes a good opener for a traditional evening service, I've always thought.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvqLuxjikoU - a recording from the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London.(15/06/2025)
'Holy Spirit, living breath of God'
A Stuart Townend / Keith Getty song, modern and musically accessible.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH0p8tXMXlc - a recording which doesn't actually feature the Gettys. Bracketed by 'Gabriel's Oboe' from the film 'The Mission' and ending with a prayer of St Patrick. Works quite well.(14/06/2025)
'Wa Wa Wa Emimimo (English version: Come, O Holy Spirit, Come)'
Come, O Holy Spirit - this Nigerian song makes a great start to a service.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yn98ri6OBU - it's in a Nigerian language at first, then changes to English.(13/06/2025)
'O Holy Spirit Breathe On Me'
Norman Warren's hymn about the Holy Spirit has a different theme for each of its four verses.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM2bWjMMOFg - sung by a Chinese church choir. The page provides the lyrics in both English and Chinese!(12/06/2025)
'Holy Spirit, we welcome You'
A Chris Bowater song. From 1991, when the rhythm seemed to be a little tricky for the average congregation.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUIXBmT-JNk - album recording by Mr Bowater himself.(11/06/2025)
'Holy Spirit, from before the dawn of time'
It rambles a bit (musically):- possibly one where it's better to be in the band than the congregation. But I like it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzPKOK0_Rh4 - it's by Michael Sandeman and Nathan Fellingham, and this is Phatfish doing their thing.(10/06/2025)
'Let your Spirit come (with the tongues of fire)'
A Mal Pope song - not really congregational in my view, but too good to ignore. You could get them in for the chorus.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M40mkS5IMqA - while Aled Jones was recording this in Worcester Cathedral, I was working on a photo-shoot of architectural features. He came close to tripping over me at one point.(09/06/2025)
'Come Down O Love Divine'
19th century English, from the Italian that's 500 years older. No arguments about the tune for this one:- Down Ampney, by Ralph Vaughan-Williams.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi78bnzMyws - sung by the choir of Guildford Cathedral.(08/06/2025)
'Your love, shining like the sun'
A good slower worship song.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNkI-QbAue0 - from the Stuart Townend album 'Outrageous Grace'.(07/06/2025)
'Come and pray in us, Holy Spirit'
A Taize canon.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdIHZZGt6r0 - from a service of prayer and meditation (Baltimore, Maryland).(06/06/2025)
'I'll Praise my Maker'
A great Isaac Watts hymn that we haven't used in a long time - so it's nice to include it here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7BB6kArmoI - from the Metropolitan Tabernacle.(05/06/2025)
'Over all the Earth '
Well written song by Brenton Brown:- fun to play, fun to sing, a gift to improvise harmonies on.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz1dL0GiLEg - gently paced version, and with a Hammond in the mix.(04/06/2025)
'All that I am'
Slow song of worship and commitment by James Wright, good for improvising around. Our congregation finds the triplets a bit challenging, but we get by.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl2nLKMXNVw - from James Wright's album of the same title.(03/06/2025)
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